


The Mesmerized

by Donglibog (kenchang)



Series: Conan the Cimmerian [1]
Category: Conan the Barbarian (1980s Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:46:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenchang/pseuds/Donglibog
Summary: The infamous slaver, Pervertes, and his evil wizard, Afrodishus take an interest in Conan's lovely companion, Valeria.





	1. Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Do not expect accuracy to the source material. It is only fan fiction after all.

Riding his mighty steed at a relaxed pace on a path within the Jenilyn Forest on his way to the city of Francius, Conan the Cimmerian looks around at his companions and smiles contentedly. For the longest time, since departing from his dark, forest-locked hinterland, the barbarian has traveled alone. It kept his life simple. He is strong, cunning, and perfectly capable of relying on only himself. And he had felt the sting of betrayal before.

But his comrades have earned his trust. They would give their lives for him, as he would for them. From the wizard Akiro, he has found a most sage advisor. He will not find a more loyal friend than the Hyrkanian archer, Subotai. And in the arms of the beautiful brigand, Valeria, he has found love.

"What are you thinking?", Valeria asks him, taking notice of the expression on his face.

"I am thinking of all the riches we are going to misappropriate from those pompous noblemen in Francius," he lies.

Valeria just smiles. She knows he is lying. A woman always knows when her man is lying. But she too knows and accepts that her Conan is a man of action and not words. He is not one to share his feelings. Even with her. She does not mind. The look of happiness in his face tells all.

However, this solace the Cimmerian feels in his newfound family does not come without price. Were he still traveling alone, he would never have let his guard down, and his keen senses would have easily espied the shadowy figures in the trees, stalking them.

Conan grunts in pain at what feels like the sting of some insect on his right shoulder. Except when he touches it, he instead pulls from his flesh what he instantly and fearfully recognizes as a blowgun dart.

"Ambush!", he yells.

Subotai looks up and finds a man in the treetop, reloading his blowgun. But the Hyrkanian is faster. In a mere second, he takes an arrow from his quiver and accurately looses the missile with his bow! Their attacker squeaks and falls from the tree, dead even before his body thuds on the grassy ground far below.

Conan and his party spur their horses forward. They must escape the forest to where the shadowed figures cannot strike at them from behind the greenery. But as he urges his steed faster, the barbarian's right arm stiffens. Unable to move the limb to properly steer his mount, the Cimmerian is unable to keep up with his group, and he falls off his horse!

Fighting through the pain, his right arm paralyzed from the shoulder down to the fingertips, the barbarian clenches his teeth and forces himself back to his feet. He draws his longsword from the scabbard strapped to his back, a heavy weapon that one would normally wield with both hands. Then he sees more shadows emerging from behind the trees.

"Come, cowards!", he calls, his sword pointed at them. "Come out that I might slaughter the lot of you! I care not how many you are. I'll smite you all with just one hand!"

"We must take you to the master," the mob drones, stepping into the light. "You belong to the master now."

They are not the fierce warriors Conan expected. Instead, before him stand simple men and women, young and old, dressed only in rags, armed only with clubs. One of them, a young man, rushes forward, his weapon raised. He makes no war cry. There is no hatred in his dull eyes.

The Cimmerian strikes him down with his sword, crushing ribs and sending the man's lifeless husk rolling across the grass! And this with just one hand. Had Conan the use of both, he would have cut the man in half. Another one attacks, a woman. The barbarian swings his sword back, lopping her head off! Normally, such a gruesome display of violence and ruthlessness would discourage further aggression.

But to the barbarian's surprise, his enemies fearlessly advance, and all the while they chant, "We must take you to the master. You belong to the master now."

"Conan!", Valeria screams worriedly, turning her horse around.

"No! Stay back!", the Cimmerian commands her.

She ignores his words, racing to his rescue, her short sword drawn. And Conan is both annoyed by and grateful for his woman's bullheadedness. He sheathes his weapon then runs from the mad horde to join Valeria on her horse that they may escape this accursed forest.

Yet before the lovers can reach each other, a man leaps from the trees and tackles Valeria to the ground! Conan immediately reaches for his longsword again, but the poison from the dart has spread from his shoulder to the rest of his body. He falls heavily to his knees. His vision dims. And the mighty warrior falls into a deep sleep.

#

"Place her on the bed," the old wizard, Afrodishus commands.

The slaves obey. They lay the partially conscious woman on the mattress. Then they exit the room.

Afrodishus gazes upon his latest prize. He has heard of Valeria. There is a bounty on her head in Zamora, the City of Thieves. She appears to be uninjured. One of his slaves had knocked her out with a single punch. This is fortunate, as the Lord Pervertes wants his possessions undamaged.

The old wizard begins undressing her, unfastening the straps of her armor. She has an athletic build, he observes, as he studies her naked form. Very different from their more delicate odalisques, warrior women being so rare. He had suggested that she would serve them well as a soldier. But the lord had other plans for her. And how could the wizard blame him? Valeria is a rare beauty with long, wavy, golden hair.

Standing by the side of the bed, Afrodishus slowly moves his hand up and down her thigh. Her suntanned skin is soft and smooth, marred only by light, infrequent scars from unknown battles. His fingers travel up her inner thigh. He cups her crotch and begins stroking her there. The semiconscious woman, her eyes half closed, furrows her brow, and her body twitches slightly as the wizard molests her.

Afrodishus then takes the middle and ring fingers of his left hand into his mouth, wetting them with saliva. He returns his hand between Valeria's thighs and pushes the two fingers inside her. The warrior woman softly moans in protest, only vaguely aware of what is being done to her. The old wizard bends forward and ravenously kisses her in the mouth as he roughly slides his fingers in and out of her. Valeria's legs kick sluggishly in unconscious resistance.

The wizard extracts his fingers and joins the woman in the bed, sitting on his heels between her legs. He reaches forward, cupping her bare breasts and squeezing them repeatedly. After a few minutes, he takes his stiff shaft out from under his robes. He guides himself into her hole. And with his other hand on her hip, he forces his manhood inside her sex! Valeria makes a near quiet whine of pain as she is penetrated. Afrodishus begins raping her, the woman's firm, ample bosom swaying with every thrust.

#

Conan opens his eyes and sees the world blurred and spinning before him. When his mind and vision clear, he finds himself surrounded in near darkness, a cold floor beneath and steel bars above. He sits up slowly, his body still weak.

"So the sleeping giant finally stirs," he hears Akiro speak in bitter jest.

Conan turns his head, his eyes adjusting to the gloom, and sees his two friends in the cage with him, sitting on the cold floor, resting their backs on the thick bars.

"So they have caught you, too," Conan grimly says.

"Come now, friend," Subotai answers. "We could not leave you behind."

"Speak for yourself!", Akiro quips. "I was about to leave the clumsy oaf. They just caught up to me."

"Who are they?", the Cimmerian asks.

"They are the Mesmerized," Akiro answers. "I have heard of them from other wizards. They belong to Lord Pervertes, one of the most infamous slavers of Francius. The Mesmerized are made completely loyal, willing even to sacrifice their very lives for their evil lord, through the dark magics of Afrodishus-"

"Wait," Conan interrupts him. "Where is Valeria?"

#

Afrodishus continues to rape Valeria. He places her legs over his shoulders that he may thrust deeper and harder. And when he approaches the height of ecstasy, he groans in pleasure and releases his seed inside her! The old wizard orgasms hard, and he leans forward to make certain that the warrior woman takes in nearly every drop. Though when he finally pulls out, some spill back out of her and onto the bed anyway. Afrodishus sighs in satisfaction.

To his semiconscious victim, he breathlessly says, "You were an excellent fuck, my dear. I cannot wait to take you again after you wake."

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. X Marks the G Spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Afrodishus enjoyed taking advantage of Valeria in her sleep. Now, the lecherous, old wizard wishes to take her again as she wakes.

Valeria wakes. As her vision slowly clears, the first thing she notices is that she is in a large room, brightly lit by flambeaux along the walls and candles on a long wooden table. The second thing she notices is that she is completely naked.

She gasps in shock and embarrassment. She attempts to cover her bare chest, but realizes that she is unable to move her arms, nor her legs. She is spread-eagled, her back against a large, upright X, her wrists and ankles bound to it. She is not hanging on it though, as her feet touch the floor. Panic sets in nontheless.

Then she becomes aware of another sensation. A soreness between her legs. In anguish, she realizes that she had been violated in sleep. With a combination of fury and shame, she snarls and wildly pulls against her restraints!

"There there, my dear. Stop that. You might hurt yourself," a balding, gaunt, old man in long robes tells her in mock sympathy.

"Who are you?!", Valeria hisses. "Where is Conan?!"

"My name is Afrodishus. I am your latest lover."

Valeria's eyes widen in anger. "You bastard! I'll make you suffer for what you did to me! Release me this instant or-!"

"Or what?", he responds brashly.

He walks forward and stops right in front of her. He is so close that her breasts are pressed against his chest. She can feel his breath on her face and his bulging member on her crotch. She turns her head away. Afrodishus licks the side of her face. He wraps his arms around her slim waist, and he begins licking her ear. Valeria winces in disgust. His tongue draws a slow, wet line from her ear to her neck. His hands move down to her buttocks and knead them. He licks, sucks at, and leaves hot, wet kisses all over neck. Then his kisses move down to her chest.

"No! Stop it!", Valeria protests.

She attempts to twist her body from him but her restraints keep her in place. The old man buries his face between her ample breasts, kissing her cleavage repeatedly. He kisses her all over her right breast. He traces her areola with his tongue, giving her goose bumps. Her nipple hardens when he begins flicking it with the tip of his tongue. Valeria shuts her eyes tight and clenches her teeth. And when the old man takes her erect nipple in his mouth and sucks at it, the warrior woman throws her head back and is unable to stop herself from moaning.

Spurred by her erotic sounds, Afrodishus tightly wraps his arms around her waist, pressing her breast against his face that he may suck even harder. Valeria screams, clenching her fists and shaking her head from side to side. The old wizard fiddles with his robes to release his excessively eager shaft. Valeria stares at the engorged penis, and she is filled with an unspeakable dread.

"N-No," she stutters fearfully. "No, don't!"

The old man smiles wickedly. He pushes the tip of his penis inside her, making her grimace. Then he cruelly says, "Beg me to stop, warrior. Beg me, and I might just decide to be merciful."

Valeria glares at him. Her warrior's pride would not let her beg so easily. It is one of the reasons why she had turned to thievery instead of panhandling. Afrodishus notices her defiance and decides to punish her for it. He slowly slides his penis deeper inside her. Valeria panics when she feels her hole stretch.

In desperation, she shrieks, "Alright! Stop! I'll beg!"

"I'm waiting," the old man answers, and he begins rocking his hips slightly, rubbing his member against the rim of her hole to torment her.

"P-Please don't do it," Valeria swallows her pride and forces herself to say. "I beg you."

"Don't do what?", Afrodishus asks fiendishly, rocking his hips faster.

"P-Please don't rape me!"

The old wizard stops his movements. Valeria sighs in relief. Then, without warning, Afrodishus grins and shoves his penis deep inside her, all the way to the base, making her scream in agony!

"You bastard!", she howls.

"I said I might decide to be merciful," he explains as he rapes her. "I never said I actually would."

Like a wild animal, Valeria redoubles her efforts to escape, thrashing against her bonds. But all it does is further excite her violator. With one hand around her waist, his other hand goes to the back of her head, and he forcefully presses his cold, wrinkled mouth to her soft, full lips, as he thrusts faster and harder inside her!

Valeria desperately tries to pull her head away to break the unwanted kiss, but the old man's hand keeps her in place, and he kisses her deeper. Finally, Afrodishus' body shudders. He pulls her body against his. He moans in pleasure in her mouth. Tears roll down the warrior woman's cheeks, as she feels his sticky fluids fill her.

When he is certain that he has emptied his load, Afrodishus pulls out of her and takes a step back. There is an expression of cruel satisfaction on his face as he looks upon her, like he is admiring his work.

"I'll kill you for this. I swear it," Valeria whimpers.

"Oh, I will miss that. Your rage, your threats, your resistance," the wizard replies, taking a small pouch from a pocket in his robes. "But the Lord Pervertes prefers his odalisques compliant." He sprinkles some pinkish powder from the pouch onto his palm.

"What are you-?", Valeria starts to ask, when Afrodishus blows the powder into her face.

Then Valeria's vision blurs, and she sleeps once more.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Marionette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valeria becomes one of the Mesmerized, and Lord Pervertes intends to use her to fulfill his every desire.

Lord Pervertes waits impatiently in his bedroom. His Mesmerized had captured Valeria, the beautiful brigand, early this morning. He is not familiar with the process of how his wizard, Afrodishus, removes the slaves of their free will. However, he has noticed how the procedure seems to take much longer with the beautiful, young women, particularly so with Valeria.

At long last, he hears a knock on his door.

"Enter!", he commands.

As he anticipated, it is Afrodishus. And next to him, the buxom Valeria, dressed in a short, white tunic that does not even cover her slender legs and only barely covers her crotch. Her lips are slightly parted, and she is glassy-eyed like all of the other slaves. Pervertes smiles broadly at the sight of her.

Then he glares at the old man and says, "You kept me waiting, wizard."

"My apologies," Afrodishus responds, bowing respectfully. "A warrior woman has a much stronger spirit than your average slave girl. Her will is not so easily broken. However, I guarantee you will be pleased with the results. I used a new mixture of the pink and black lotus and aphrodisiac. Not only will she submit to your every desire, but she will take pleasure in doing so. Also, I had to bathe her for you afterwards-"

"Are you sure bathing her was all you did?"

The old wizard's eyes open wide, seemingly offended.

"Certainly, my lord!", he replies. "She is your property. Not mine."

He is lying of course. He had joined Valeria in the bath and had sex with her there. Twice. However, he convinces himself that he had only done so to test his concoction's effectivity, thus ensuring the safety of his lord.

"Very well then," Pervertes says skeptically. "You may leave."

"As you wish, my lord," Afrodishus responds, bowing his head and exiting the chambers.

Pervertes turns his attention back to Valeria.

"Come here, slave," he commands.

"Yes, master," the warrior woman replies politely, taking a step forward, the ferocity gone from her.

"Show me those gorgeous breasts of yours."

Without hesitation, Valeria slips the garment off her shoulders down to her elbows, shamelessly exposing her breasts to the slaver. Pervertes' eyes widen in excitement. He takes the woman's breasts in his chubby hands and squeezes them repeatedly. The woman winces in discomfort at how roughly he handles her, but she neither resists nor complains.

The shorter of the two, Pervertes stands on his toes and cranes his neck to give the woman an open-mouthed kiss to the lips. And when he does, the slave kisses him back. And when he slips his tongue in her mouth, she meets and twists her own tongue with it. Satisfied with the effectivity of the old wizard's magic, Pervertes eagerly leads Valeria to his bed.

"Sit here," he tells her, patting his thigh after he sits on the edge of his bed.

Valeria turns her back to him and straddles his lap. Pervertes' hands reach from behind, under her arms to cup her bosoms. While he squeezes them again, his forefingers tickle her nipples, which harden almost instantly in response. He pulls her to him then licks her repeatedly between her shoulder blades. The slave tilts her head back. She turns her head to face him, and their tongues touch and tangle once more.

One of his hands moves down her trim stomach. It travels between her legs, reaching under her tunic. He finds her genitals already hot and moist, and he begins massaging her there. Valeria shudders, and she moans in his mouth.

#

Pervertes is certain that, had he not met Afrodishus, he would still be a virgin. Oh, he was moderately wealthy, his father, a successful merchant. But young Pervertes quickly learned that wealth alone absent status is not enough to entice the young women of Francius. And it helps not that he is diminutive, corpulent, and unhandsome. Even the most destitute of whores refused his advances.

And then one night, at an event thrown by one of his father's more prominent customers, he met Afrodishus, a penniless, old wizard, courting nobles for funding. The old man lacked the resources necessary for his research on the rare pink and black lotus. The aristocrats scorned, laughed at, and shooed Afrodishus away.

To this day, Pervertes has no clue as to what made him decide to help the old man. Perhaps he took pity on the old fool. Perhaps, as one so accustomed to rejection, he found in the wizard a kindred spirit.

#

Years later and here he is, a feared slaver with his tongue in the mouth of a beautiful woman and two of his fingers in her vagina.

Pervertes' kisses move down the side of the woman's neck. Valeria throws her head back, her eyes shut, and starts moaning wantonly at the ceiling. Afrodishus' magic is powerful indeed. Having had sex only with mesmerized slave girls, Pervertes has neither skill nor knowledge of how to please a woman. Yet here is Valeria, screaming in ecstasy, her toes curled, her body trembling, her genitals drenched. The slaver reminds himself to reward the old wizard later, perhaps with a hefty bonus or even a slave girl of his choosing.

Pervertes releases his rigid cock from under his robes. Valeria herself guides it inside her entrance. Then she begins bouncing her hips vigorously on his lap, stroking the length of his shaft with her slippery hole! The slaver shuts his eyes, clenches his teeth, and presses the side of his face on his slave's back as the mesmerized woman intensifies her motions. Nearing climax, he places his hands on her firm breasts and squeezes tightly.

It does not take long for Pervertes to orgasm, given his lack of control and disinterest in his partner's pleasure. But the aphrodisiac's power over Valeria is so potent, that with a scream of euphoria, she orgasms with him anyway. In fact, she comes so hard, that she sighs and collapses back into him after, the back of her head resting on his shoulder.

Breathing heavily, Pervertes takes Valeria's chin in his thumb and finger and makes her face him. He kisses her in the mouth, and their tongues play once more. The night is young, and he is not nearly done with her just yet.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Awaken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valeria must endure one final act of depravity if she is to free her friends.

Valeria wakes, her will once more her own. The old wizard had underestimated her. She had held her breath just as he blew his mystical pink powder in her face. She had still inhaled a little, and was thus entranced by his black magic, but she overcomes the spell much sooner than he anticipated.

She turns and sees Lord Pervertes sleeping next to her. How she wants to strangle the fat, ugly, disgusting swine! He had violated every inch of her flesh repeatedly this night. And even while in her mesmerized state, which left her completely subservient to his every desire, she vividly remembers every horrific moment of the ordeal. He had made her strip for him, dance erotically for him, masturbate before him, fornicate with him again and again. He had used her to fulfill his every twisted fantasy!

Yet being humiliated repeatedly by both the slaver and his evil wizard tonight has left her physically and mentally exhausted. She might still be able to overpower the sleeping, obviously unfit debaucher. But not his guards should he manage to call for help. Grudgingly, she decides to let him live. For now. Finding Conan and the others was far more important. But just as she rises from the mattress to reach for the revealing, white tunic on the floor-

"Where are you going, slave?", Pervertes asks, startling her.

"N-Nowhere, master," she replies, feigning subservience.

"Why do you cover yourself so?"

Valeria had not realized that she had instinctively covered her bare breasts with her arms. She reluctantly lowers the limbs to her sides now. Pervertes wonders why his slave's face is so red. But so titillated is he by the woman's magnificent nakedness, that he does not give it another thought.

"Come here," he commands.

"Bel, god of thieves! Is there no limit to his lasciviousness?!", Valeria inveighs in her head.

Yet she complies, nervously sitting next to him on the bed. When he touches her breast with a finger, she flinches. He begins slowly drawing invisible circles on her breast. Each one smaller than the last, closer and closer to her nipple. The moment his finger touches her areola, Valeria gets goose bumps, and she almost shrinks away from him. The aphrodisiac must still hold some power over her, as both her nipples become very hard even before he touches them, and she feels the heat and wetness from her loins. When he finally does touch her nipple, tickling it with his finger, Valeria shuts her eyes tight and clenches her teeth. Her entire body trembles.

"You truly are a special prize, Valeria," he tells her. "Oh, you may not be the most beautiful girl in my harem, but unlike the rest of them, not only would you reject my advances under more normal circumstances, you'd split my skull for it."

"Oh, don't tempt me," Valeria thinks.

"It makes my conquest of you all the sweeter."

He pinches her nipple and twists it, making her wince in pain. Then he leans forward. Valeria nearly turns her head away. When he kisses her, she kisses him back that he would not suspect anything. She almost retches when she feels his tongue slither back in her mouth. Pervertes grabs and squeezes her breast excitedly. He pushes her back down on the bed, climbs on top of her, and positions himself between her legs, as he repeatedly licks, kisses, and sucks at her neck. Valeria braces herself for what she knows and fears comes next. The slaver pushes his cock inside her. Valeria wants to sob, but she holds back her tears, as Pervertes rapes her anew.

#

Much later, when her rapist falls asleep, Valeria gets dressed and steals away from his room. In the empty corridor, she rests her aweary body against a wall. She crouches, and with her hand covering her mouth, she allows herself a moment to quietly weep.

#

His corded muscles straining, Conan tightly locks his fingers around two steel prison bars and attempts to bend them. After grunting, sweating, and struggling with little effect, Conan releases the bars and begins pacing back and forth like an angry caged animal.

"Save your strength, my friend," Subotai calmly tells him as the archer meditates, sitting on the cold floor. "You will need it for when the opportunity for escape comes."

"No, let him keep trying!", Akiro counters. "It's his fault we're in this mess."

Conan growls at him, "One more word out of you, wizard-"

"Conan!", Valeria calls.

The Cimmerian turns and sees his lover at the doorway. Valeria rushes towards the cage, and she and her barbarian lock fingers between the bars. Conan has never been so happy to see her. He does not tell her though, as it is not his way. And he does not need to. Valeria already knows. Though there are times, much like tonight after what she had to suffer through, when she wishes that she could hear him say the words.

Valeria produces a metal ring of keys. She quickly tries each key to see which one unlocks the cage door.

"By Crom, girl," Conan exclaims. "How did you acquire those keys?"

"The other slaves think me one of them," Valeria explains. "I can go wherever I please unaccosted. I even know where to retrieve our weapons-"

They hear a click. Valeria smiles widely as the cage door swings open. The moment her lover exits the prison, she wraps her arms around him. She wants to cry on his large, strong chest when Akiro barks, "Out of the way! There are still two of us in here, you know?!"

"Valeria, do you know how we can escape this accursed place unnoticed?", Subotai asks.

"We cannot just leave the slaves under such horrible circumstances," she answers, looking to Conan with pleading eyes.

"Valeria is right," Conan agrees. "No man should ever have to live life in chains."

"I have not done as extensive a research of the pink and black lotus as Afrodishus has, but I do know that its effects are temporary and has to be administered regularly," Akiro explains. "We can destroy their supply. Or if I can locate Afrodishus' potion room, I can use the ingredients there to undo his control over the Mesmerized."

"I know where that is," Valeria tells him.

"My, you have been all over this place, have you not? No wonder it took you so long to rescue us."

#

They retrieve their weapons. But on their way to Afrodishus' room, a guard spots them. The guard quickly takes a horn from his belt and blows into it to alert the others. Like a fierce jungle cat, Conan snarls and runs the man through with his longsword!

"Conan!", Subotai yells. "Why did you kill him?! These people have no will of their own! They are innocent!"

"Well, what would you have me do?!", Conan yells back.

Just then, another guard, armed with a dagger, appears from around the corridor behind Conan. Subotai shoots the man dead with an arrow to the heart!

The barbarian frowns at the archer. Subotai just shrugs in response.

"Valeria, Akiro, destroy their supply and start working on a cure for these people!", Conan commands. "Hurry! We will hold them off for as long as we are able!"

The wizard and the brigand obey, entering Afrodishus' room. Conan and Subotai prepare for battle. The horde of Mesmerized rushing towards them are no longer armed with clubs like before. They are armed with swords. They have been given orders to kill.

#

Valeria winces in horror at the sight of the giant X that she was strapped to earlier. Afrodishus is not in his room. Akiro begins rummaging through some vials on a shelf. He picks one up with yellowish powder inside it.

"We are in luck!", he declares. "It appears Afrodishus has already prepared an antidote. Although for what reason, I cannot surmise."

"He does not like taking the girls while they are mesmerized," Valeria explains dismally. "He prefers them bound and begging as he rapes them."

"How did you know that?"

Valeria glares at him. "What does it matter how I know?!"

"Fine, fine," the wizard answers fearfully and exits the room, vial in hand.

#

The Cimmerian brings his longsword down, splitting the skull of another Mesmerized, when Akiro yells, "Conan! Out of the way!"

The wizard sprays the contents of the vial into the air over the crowd.

"Did it work?", Conan asks.

Akiro answers, "We will find out the moment they overrun and kill us."

#

Pervertes wakes to the sounds of someone banging at his door. He sleepily wonders why Valeria is not lying next to him.

"Lord Pervertes!", Afrodishus frantically screams from outside.

Pervertes puts on a robe and answers the door.

"By the gods, man. What has gotten into you?", he asks drowsily.

"The barbarian! He has freed the Mesmerized!", the old wizard fearfully shrieks.

"What?! How did he do that?!"

"I do not know! They come for us as we speak!"

"We have to get out of here," Pervertes says, the sleep completely gone from him.

"But what of my research?! My concoctions! The pink and black lotus is so rare-!"

"You told me before that the Mesmerized remember everything we make them do, did you not?! What do you think they will do to us when they get their hands on us?!"

#

To Valeria's disappointment, both Pervertes and Afrodishus are nowhere to be found. They have escaped her righteous wrath. However, in their haste, they have also left behind much of their fortune. Conan and his party take only as much as nomads can carry. The much larger part was divided among the freed slaves that they may return to the homes from whence they were taken.

As they ride away, Conan once again wears a smile of contentment on his face. And for good reason. His adopted family had faced the feared army of the Mesmerized and emerged victorious. They are unstoppable. At this rate, he will soon become king and Valeria, his queen.

What could possibly go wrong?

END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
